What To Expect During a Stent Procedure

For Arteries Narrowed by Plaque

This procedure usually takes a few hours.

Before the procedure starts, you will get medicine to help you relax. You will be on your back and awake during the procedure so you can follow the doctor's instructions. The area where the catheter is inserted will be numbed and you won't feel the doctor threading the catheter, balloon, or stent inside the artery. You may feel some pain when the balloon is expanded to push the stent into place.

For Aortic Aneurysms

This procedure takes a few hours. It usually requires a 2- to 3-day stay in the hospital.

Before the procedure, you will be given medicine to help you relax. If a stent is placed in the abdominal portion of the aorta, your doctor may give you a regional anesthetic. This will make you numb from the area of the stent placement down, but it will allow you to be awake during the procedure. If a stent is placed in the chest portion of the aorta, usually a general anesthetic will be used, which will make you sleep through the procedure.

Once you're numbed or asleep, your doctor will make a small cut in your groin (upper thigh). The doctor will insert a catheter into the blood vessel through this cut. Sometimes, two cuts (one above each leg) are needed to place fabric stents that come in two parts. You will not feel the doctor threading the catheter, balloon, or stent into the artery.